Corví Cantus
by Tarin Croft
Summary: A new enemy destroys Crystal Tokyo and sends Hotaru into another universe, intrigued by her power. In this new world, Hotaru involuntarily becomes the enemy as the ex-Gundam pilots are once again pulled into war, one unlike any they have fought before. Heero/Hotaru. Rated T for now. May go up in later chapters.
1. Devastation

**Corví Cantus  
By Tarin Croft**

Chaos. Surges of light and then sudden darkness. A flash of ice, then fire, then nothing. Screaming. So much screaming.

The senshi had been fighting for _hours_, and yet their enemy stood in front of them, smirking in superiority as she deflected every attack with just a flick of her wrist. One of them had already fallen, her broken body lifeless in the middle of the battlefield in the crystal hall.

Sailor Saturn's stomach lurched as she tried not to look at her fallen comrade. Minako... She launched another Silence Wall as a bright blast of light shot in the direction of her Queen. She could feel her body dragging, the energy it took to cast every spell waning. She could barely keep up now with anything the enemy had sent at them.

Princess Gienah - she had called herself that when she arrived unexpectedly that afternoon. With a sweep of her arm, the civilians in the reception hall of Crystal Tokyo had been obliterated. The senshi stared in horror for a split second before their lifetimes of experience kicked in and caused a mass transformation. Neo Queen Serenity was the first to cry out, asking why she had done this.

Boredom. The reason for mass murder from this alien princess was _boredom_. Enraged, Sailor Jupiter had launched an attack that merely bounced off. Sailor Venus tried then, when Princess Gienah had caught her own whip and strangled her with it before any of them could react.

All at once, the senshi threw every attack they knew at her with little success. Sailor Mercury and Sailor Saturn were put on the defensive, using any energy they had to try to confuse her and block her attacks. After four hours of this, Saturn could tell they had little left to give.

Pretty soon, there would be no choice but to use her ultimate attack, save for her world-destruction-ability. Until then, she would protect her queen - and more importantly, the crystal.

More important than her friend's life was the Ginzuishou - the Silver Crystal. If that fell into the hands of this enemy, nothing would stop her. Although, it looked as if nothing would stop her anyway. But they had to try...

"SILENCE WALL!" Saturn cried as she deflected yet another attack, this one aimed at Endymion. The wall absorbed the attack and fell. Her breaths became ragged and she leaned heavily on her staff.

"Hang in there, Saturn," came Pluto's ever-calm voice. Her adoptive parent looked a little less than calm. Her usual steady gaze was flickering in disquiet. "I don't understand how this is happening..." she said more to herself than anyone around her.

Saturn watched the princess gleefully play with each attack thrown at her, her mouth set in a thin line. "None of us expected this."

"It's more disturbing than that." There was a slight grimace as another wall cracked against the weight of another attack.

"Meaning...?" Another wall was thrown up, just for a brief second and then taken back down. Uranus shot her a look of gratitude before throwing another World Shaking spell.

Saturn surprised herself as she quickly dodged on oncoming beam of light that completely demolished a crystal statue. Her heart raced as Pluto continued. "Princess Gienah... She isn't supposed to exist! Not in this timeline, not in this universe..."

Saturn stifled a gasp and winced as another beam of light grazed her ear. She let go of the breath she was holding. "So you're saying she's from another universe altogether? Is that possible?! I heard that there were other universes but -." She was cut off from continuing her sentence as Sailor Mercury was suddenly grabbed by a bolt of intense light and lifted at least a dozen feet in the air.

She swore under her breath and launched herself from her hiding place, glaive raised. Without thinking, she swung her glaive at the current of energy and it shattered somehow, releasing its hold on her blue-clad friend. Saturn could almost _feel_ the princess scowl and the sudden heat of another attack coming after her. She quickly grabbed Mercury and tumbled with all of her effort a few feet away. A split second later, the surge of energy landed where she had been, its remnants still crackling.

She barely had a moment to catch her breath before she had to dodge another one. She scrambled on all fours, with Mercury, and dodged one after another, working on pure adrenaline. Finally, Mercury was snatched from her by Endymion who got her to safety. She could still feel herself as a target and made a hasty retreat to find cover. It was all she could to not look back and throw a wall up. Even a split-second pause could mean her death.

Finally, she managed to duck under a section of wall that had stood against the attacks. She caught her breath, using one eye to scan the wreckage. What she saw stunned her - craters of crackling energy in random patterns in every space she had occupied for only a mere second. It amazed her that this alien princess was able to summon such energy so quickly.

"Well, well, well," the princess mused. "Isn't that interesting?" She seemed almost...pleased? Somehow, that terrified Saturn more than the onslaught. "So far, the only one of you that seems to hold a candle to my power is that tiny thing."

Saturn tried to ignore her. She surveyed the battlefield for her comrades. Pluto was close to where she had been before rescuing Mercury, looking completely shell-shocked, but fine considering. Uranus and Neptune were close, murmuring to themselves - obviously working on a strategy. Endymion was helping Serenity look after Mercury. They were the last line of defense, after all, they should be staying out of the fight. She couldn't find the others, but knew from the energy in the air that they were at least alive.

"Come out, little girl. What is your name?"

Saturn furrowed her brow. What the hell? An ambush of death for hours and suddenly, this insane woman wants HER NAME?

When she was met with only silence, the princess growled and there was a sudden scream. Rei? Saturn looked up, panic rising in her chest. The princess had cast a spell that tied itself around Sailor Mars's wrists and ankles. "Tell me now or I will tear this one apart!" She had a wicked glare on her face, made only more frightening by her petulant request.

Without thinking, Saturn crawled to her feet in haste. "Stop! Holy shit, I'll tell you what you want just STOP!"

Princess Gienah smiled, satisfied, and the spell ended. Mars landed with a sickening thump on the ground, but she seemed to still be alive at least. "Yes, you're quite the firecracker aren't you? I wonder if it was you who brought me here?"

Saturn ignored her. This woman was clearly insane - she hadn't brought anyone here. However, she did receive a few speculative glances. She knew that her comrades did not honestly think she had intentionally brought such a menace to their world, but it was a peculiar thing for her to say. "My name is Sailor Saturn, senshi of death, rebirth, and silence. What the _hell_ do you want?" she growled.

The princess started to pace now, her eyes locked firmly on Saturn. She was grinning in a maddening way. A few of her friends decided now would be a good time to attack. Panic rose in her chest as this seemed to only piss the psychotic off. She barely had the time to throw up a rather strong Silence Wall before the woman unleashed another intense light that would have no doubt murdered at least three senshi.

Unfortunately, this seemed to only intrigue the princess more. She had an almost manic glee in her eyes now. "Hm... Yes, you're _quite_ strong." She threw a bolt of electricity at Saturn's feet, which she easily dodged. "Nimble too."

Saturn let out another growl. What was she _doing_? She felt like she was suddenly under review as a senshi. Enough of this! If she was just going to stand there, Saturn might as well attack. Bringing her glaive up, she ran up to her quickly. "SILENCE GLAI-!" Her attack was cut off. Her entire body completely stopped, and she was frozen in a run.

"Ah-uh!" the princess tutted, her hand raised. "It wouldn't do for you to kill us both, little one, not right now at least." She cocked her head to the side. "Though I must say I am a little disappointed that this simple binding spell has managed to stop you... Ah...I knew that wasn't strong enough to hold you for long." Indeed, Saturn had managed to break past it in only a handful of seconds and was already gunning for her again. The princess seemed to delight in dodging each swing of Saturn's glaive.

"YOU are quite an exquisite creature, miss Sailor Saturn, senshi of death, yata yata..." She smirked as she dodged yet another swing. "So I'm going to do you a favor! I'm going to send you to HIM! He'll be most pleased!"

Saturn stopped and started at her, confused. "What? Who?" Did this psycho have a boss? Someone stronger than _her_? She could see the dread creep along every face of her friends. If there was someone out there stronger than this crazy princess, they were completely doomed.

The princess ignored her. "You'll make a fine soldier. But your friends can't come. Sadly, they have disappointed me." She snapped her fingers.

Saturn's eyes widened. "Wha-?" Before she could even finish her question, her surroundings vanished in a swirl of light. A bolt of lightning fell from the sky and landed upon the senshi of death with stunning ferocity. Every limb felt charged with energy and suddenly, she felt herself beginning to fade from existence.

As suddenly as this all came to be, everything stopped. Completely. Everyone, every breath of time, was frozen. She whirled around to see Sailor Pluto standing in front of her. She had a mournful look on her face, and her palm clutched something small. "It has come to this."

Tears began to fall unbidden down Saturn's cheeks. No. It hadn't come to this. She could finish it. She could use this pause in time to destroy-.

"No. You can't do that, Saturn. It can't work like that."

"_Why not_?!" Saturn cried out, unwilling to admit failure. If she could just do this, everyone would be saved and they could start over...

Pluto shook her head. "It would be a temporary solution to a problem that will follow us through time. The strength of this enemy is enough to rip the universe asunder, should she have the crystal. If you used your power, there would be no one left to stop them."

"Setsuna-mama," Saturn pleaded.

"It is clear what will happen next. I have seen this. You will be taken from this world, and given to another. I know not which world this is, nor do I know your fate once you arrive. But I will watch over you from the Gates of Time. And you will protect the universe."

"What?" she asked, her voice broken. She held back a gasp as Pluto held out the Ginzuishou, urging her to take it. "You can't mean... I can't hold that. Only Serenity can wield it. It'll tear me apart!" Panic was rising, once again, in her chest. If this was Pluto's only course of action, then that meant... She let out a sob. "They're all going to die." It wasn't a question, but an inevitability. All of her friends were going to die, and they weren't going to be reborn this time.

"It is the only way we can protect the universe, Saturn."

"But Serenity..."

"What is important is the Ginzuishou. You know this. While Serenity is our princess, we must not forget that the only truly important thing in this universe is the Ginzuishou. If it is corrupted, all hope will be lost."

Saturn shook her head. "Why not just have Serenity take my place? Why not just-?" "No, it is YOUR power that is keeping you alive, Saturn. It is evident that while strong, Serenity's power is not enough. There is something about YOU that interests the enemy. And that is something we must exploit."

Saturn hung her head in defeat.

"We are soldiers first, Saturn. And nothing more than that, when all is said and done, despite what normality would have us believe." Pluto's even voice was betrayed by her eyes. Sadness. Grief. Finality.

With a long sigh, Saturn straightened up. She fought the tears that threatened to resurface. "What must I do?" she asked with resignation. Pluto was right. She was a soldier. Not even the beautiful friendships she had experienced could change that. It only made it more painful. She firmly squashed any rising images of Chibiusa that flickered in the distance.

"We have little time left, I'm afraid. I will not be able to contact you for a long time, as I regain my strength. We will have to rely on your wits alone. The most important thing is protecting the Ginzuishou. At all cost."

Saturn nodded. "Got it."

"I must break the spell now." With a faded smile, she touched Saturn's cheek. "Good luck, Hotaru-chan."

With that, the spell ended and reality suddenly disappeared from around her. She firmly clutched the Ginzuishou and her glaive as what appeared to be a tornado rose up around her. Her symbol glowed brightly on her forehead as her own magical energy struggled to protect her from the searing winds.

The ground beneath her disappeared and she felt herself falling through the sky, nothing around to grasp onto, the wind whipping past her too quickly. A creeping blackness hit her vision. No, no, no, that wasn't good. She couldn't lose consciousness. Not now. She fought valiantly but with no luck.

_Shit._

And then there was nothingness.

* * *

Pain. That was the first thought Sailor Saturn had upon regaining consciousness. Sharp, aching pain lacing through her entire body. With great reluctance, she forced her eyes open, and immediately regretted it as blinding light flooded her vision. Her eyelids shut immediately and she turned over on her side

With as much effort as she could give, she attempted to push herself up on her feet, but only managed to get to all fours before her limbs began protesting. Well, it was better than nothing she supposed. She opened her eyes once more.

_What? Where in the world…?_

She seemed to be in the middle of a garden of a rather large mansion. A fountain was rather close, surrounded by roses and various other flowers. It was entirely unfamiliar. In the distance, she could see a city she had never seen before. She was enclosed in by a wrought-iron gate at least eight feet tall.

She could feel herself becoming overwhelmed by the strange surroundings and decided to ignore them for just a moment. Instead, she took stock of her well-being. Looking over herself, she learned that while nothing was broken (surprising, considering the supposed fall) her bones were terribly sore as if they were about to crack. She was covered in scrapes and bruises, but that was to be expected. Her senshi outfit was tattered and dirty, again – expected, and her head was undergoing what seemed to be the beginnings of a migraine. She only hoped that it faded.

She pushed the rising disgust with herself down into the recesses of her emotions. She could not think about how she basically abandoned her friends in the middle of their annihilation, even if she had no control over it. She would deal with that later, she was sure.

First things first, she withdrew her senshi form. It wouldn't do to have such a strange outfit in an unfamiliar land. It left her in a golden-yellow sweater, a black mini-skirt, a pair of thick black tights, and a pair of black ankle boots. She hoped this wasn't completely different than the normal outfits here. If she believed what Sailor Pluto had said, she was in a new world, a universe unlike her own.

Her heart sunk. She was so far from home…

"Um…excuse me, miss?" called a hesitant voice from behind.

Hotaru stiffened. How had she not noticed someone approaching? Swallowing her fear, she turned her head, willing her limbs to start working. A young woman in a maid's uniform was watching her, worried and fretting. She tried to speak, but her throat was dry and practically unusable.

"Are-are you quite all right, miss? This is a private residence, so I am afraid that I must ask you to vacate the premises…" The maid was obviously quite nervous, unused to having strange women lying around her employer's garden. "It looks like you may need medical attention. Would you like me to have you escorted to the hospital?"

That was no good. She was fairly certain she had no identity in this world and that would cause all sorts of questions that she didn't need. She shook her head and used every ounce of energy she had left to rise to her feet. She cleared her throat. "I'm…sorry. I seem to be lost. I…though this was the residence of a friend of mine, but if you don't recognize me then it looks as if I mixed the address up…" she lied easily.

The maid looked skeptical but nodded. "If you'd like, I can have a driver take you to your friend's house…?"

Hotaru shook her head. "No, that's okay. I have a feeling I know where it is now." She took a couple of steps, her legs wobbling under her. "It may take me a moment… If you don't mind, can you point me to the nearest exit? I don't quite recall how I ended up here, of all places…"

The maid nodded and turned, pointing to a gate that led to the sidewalk outside the residence. "Good day, miss."

Hotaru bowed as best as she could and made her way to the exit. It was all she could do not to collapse until she closed the gate behind her. At the point, her legs failed her and fell to the ground.

"Great," she growled. "A psychotic madwoman _does me a favor_ and sends me to an all new universe and she doesn't even have the decency to do it lightly…" It was nothing she didn't expect, however, given how murderous she had been.

_No_. Her thoughts could _not_ stray in that direction or she would be useless.

First task – figure out where she was. As soon as she could move.

* * *

It seemed to be at least an hour before Hotaru managed to massage some more feeling into her legs. The hours of fighting and casting spells was certainly not helping. It would likely be days before she was fully recovered. She couldn't even fathom how long it would take Pluto, as she had gone so far as to stop time itself for a longer time than she should have.

After a couple of blocks, she managed to find a café with a television and newspapers. She entered, nodded at the friendly barrista, and grabbed a paper. It was in English, but thankfully she'd had a few lifetimes to learn the language. Clearly, judging from the maid's use of the language and the paper, she was in a western continent but the area didn't match any she had in her memory. Of course, that meant nothing here.

She opened the paper and perused it. AC 200? What kind of time was that? She looked around – obviously, it was well after the 21st century judging from the level of technology. Perhaps closer to her present timeline – the 31st century? It was difficult to tell in this new world.

At least she could tell that she was in New York City – so the locations of both of their worlds were similar, if nothing else. The paper discussed something about an anniversary of peace coming up in a few months, along with an interview with someone named "Relena Darlian," whoever that was. She frowned. This was not very helpful. She folded the paper up and threw it back down on the table, earning a couple of perturbed looks by the staff.

Noticing she was loitering and that she'd likely be thrown out if she didn't order something soon, she stood up and walked out. What the hell was she going to do now? She pulled the silver crystal from her the hidden pocket that all senshi seemed to have to hold magical objects and studied it as she meandered down the city blocks.

The crystal was completely dull, of course. It didn't amplify _her_ magic and there was very little chance it would respond to anything she did. In order to even use it, she'd have to go through years of hard work imbuing it with her own magic and even then, there was no guarantee it wouldn't just punish her and kill her. There was a reason only those of Queen Serenity's line were destined to wield it. Even now, she could feel it pulling away from her in anger, if a crystal could do such a thing.

"Relax," she murmured, annoyed. "I'm not exactly a willing participant in this you know. Blame Pluto for your new home." Hotaru shook her head in disgust and put the crystal back; she was talking to a freaking rock.

It would be an understatement to say that Hotaru was feeling bitter about her circumstances. She'd avoided certain death but that was actually worse than having been killed! At least then she'd have died with honor and if nothing else, would have bought the queen precious moments to escape once she regained her memories.

Regaining control over her emotions, Hotaru halted and moved off the sidewalk a bit, looking around. The sun had set at least an hour ago and she was dragging as it was. If she didn't find shelter soon, she'd end up collapsed on the sidewalk. Grimacing, she continued walking until she had found a park. It was not ideal but it would have to do. Thankfully, she had nothing of value on her (physically at least) so if someone tried to rob her, they'd have a difficult time of it.

She curled up on a park bench that seemed secluded enough and was surprised when sleep took her almost immediately.

* * *

Hotaru didn't know how long she had been unconscious exactly, but judging from the stiffness of her muscles, it was likely a long time indeed. Without opening her eyes, she went to stretch out but found herself restrained.

Her eyes flew open and she tried to bolt upright but a large leather band held her shoulders down. She pulled at her wrists and ankles but found those, too, bound. Panic hammered in her chest; she looked around and bit back a whimper.

A cold, dark, windowless room with only one small light above. She was clothed in an abrasive cotton gown and bound by the shoulders, arms, wrists, waist, legs, and ankles. It only made her more agitated and she could feel her panic beginning to turn into hysteria. She barely noticed that her injuries were healed save for raw abrasions on her wrists and ankles. Had she been struggling in her sleep?

She craned her neck a bit and winced as she felt something pull against the back of her neck. What the…?

"Oh, dear, you've woken up again…" chided a motherly voice from the foot of Hotaru's bed. The room flooded with light briefly before becoming drowned in darkness again, save for the dim glow of the light above. "You are quite troublesome, young lady. If you keep waking up the process will only take longer. None of us wants that, do we?"

The…nurse…walked over to a machine in the corner of the room with a long protruding cord that seemed to connect to something under the bed, near her head. She had an inkling of where it was going and her stomach lurched painfully. The woman pressed a few buttons, muttered to herself, and pressed a few more.

Hotaru's vision began to blur and everything started to become a little topsy-turvy. She could hear the nurse say something like, "Yes, she woke up again but I took care of it" and "Yes, I realize this is not ideal but what can we do? She's so different than the others…" Before she could gather anything else, an uncomfortable sleep once again claimed her.

* * *

A/N: Well, there's the first chapter! I hope everyone liked it. I apologize for the lack of the Gundam boys but this was necessary. Next chapter, promise. Please review! :)

**Disclaimer: I own neither Gundam Wing nor Sailor Moon.** I suppose I own my own original characters, though…

-TC


	2. Sparrow

**Corví Cantus  
By Tarin Croft**

**Chapter Two**

AC200.

The colonies and Earth have sustained peace for 3 years. Though there have been small uprisings, they've been thoroughly defeated by the Preventers before they could become a true threat. Mobile suits have become a thing of the past, and haven't been seen since the Gundams were permanently destroyed.

Finally, it seemed as if humanity could breathe a sigh of relief and live as peaceful lives as possible.

In order to remember the sacrifices of the past, the Earth Sphere Unified Nation continued to celebrate the end of the Eve Wars with an elaborate celebratory ball. During this time, the Foreign Minister, Relena Darlian, would say a few words, a memorial service would be held, and people would somberly recall how tenuous peace could be.

It was generally an uneventful party and after the first year, the ex-Gundam pilots were conspicuously absent. Heero Yuy, former pilot of Wing Gundam Zero, never even stepped foot inside the building.

Peace was something to get used to for him especially, as he had been forged in the fires of war. He couldn't recall a life before the endless battles and having to be constantly on guard in case of attack. Even now, his nerves were practically vibrating that something just _wasn't right_. Duo, partaking in celebratory libations, declared that he would never be happy unless he was ripping mobile suits apart, and told him to just relax and enjoy the fact that they weren't needed for once.

It was likely that Duo was correct and Heero was just secretly hoping something would go wrong so his life would have purpose again. Any supposed threat to peace that he (rarely) dealt with was so insignificant he was almost positive that had they not intervened, the threat would dissipate on its own.

After going through the database of another straight-and-narrow business for the umpteenth time that day, Heero sighed in frustration, running a hand through his consistently unruly brown locks. He slammed shut his laptop, got up quickly and grabbed his coat. Boredom was beginning to set in and it wouldn't do to sit there and revel in it.

* * *

The December air was bitter tonight, and snow was falling in large diamond flakes. It was likely they would see at least a few inches by morning at this rate.

Heero rounded another block; he didn't have a destination in mind but was instead allowing himself to be pulled along by the crowds on the sidewalks. In just an hour, he mused, the anniversary ball would begin and Relena would be speaking about the Eve Wars.

He almost let out a chuckle, but his soldier's training kicked in and squashed it. Relena. What a disaster _that_ had been. For his sixteen-year-old self, she seemed like someone he could connect with on some level and it was clear she had feelings for him. It would have been difficult for him to ignore it. His own feelings, he supposed, were similar to hers, if a bit muddled due to instinctively ignoring them.

After peace had been established, they had attempted what he supposed was a romance but it went nowhere quickly. He had little to no clue how to express his feelings and as time went on, every moment between them just became _awkward_. Relena would try to establish a connection and Heero would pull away for no reason. He had _tried_ he guessed, but any thoughts of entertaining romance ended after just two months.

A year ago, the Foreign Minister Darlian had become engaged to a Preventer with similar ideals to her own. The high-ranking officer had absolutely _no_ difficulty showering her with affection. He was genuinely happy for her. At twenty years old, he knew that any feelings he had considered he had for her were simply camaraderie and probably hormones.

He was just blocks away from the hall the anniversary celebration was being held in. Because he had little else to do, he snuck around the back of the lightly guarded building and let himself in through a window. Though peace had dulled other soldiers' instincts, he had continued to hone his, and they kicked in now as he stealthily crept up to the indoor balcony. He settled into a decent vantage point, and watched as Relena walked up to the podium and began her speech. An older gentlemen, a high-ranking member of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation, stood just behind her as she delivered a similar speech to the one she always gave.

After just five minutes, Heero noticed a glint of metal from his peripheral vision and his eyes locked onto a sniper rifle being held by a very petite person in what looked like a metal-covered, form-fitting space suit. Without even a thought, he pulled his gun from the back of his jeans, aimed, and fired.

There were two shots, one a split-second after the other. There was sudden silence and then just a heartbeat later, the hall erupted in a cacophony of screams. An armed guard tackled Relena to the ground. Heero barely spared her a look as he sprinted to the other side of the room where the sniper had been.

The gun had disappeared and so had the metal-suit-clad person who had shot it. All that remained was the stand – he? she? – had used to steady it. He looked around for any evidence the sniper had left but found nothing. The stand was a basic one, nothing notable about it at all. He looked over the balcony and noted that Relena seemed unharmed, though shaken, and the older gentlemen from before was sporting a leg wound.

A second later, Heero felt a bullet graze his temple just after he turned his head. His heart hammered in his chest and he pulled his gun once more, looking around. The metal-clad sniper was standing in the shadows next to a moonlit window. He fired his gun but the bullet just deflected off the armor.

He swore and ran towards the stranger, firing his gun to keep this person from firing his or her own. As he had reached the sniper, he or she had nimbly leapt from the window. He ran to the window and looked out, seeing the assassin land deftly on his or her feet and break into a sprint. He had seconds to analyze the enemy but it was sufficient enough.

Judging from the lithe frame and the way the suit was placed, the enemy was likely female, and quite small. The large sniper rifle hung on her back and because she seemed unburdened by it, she was likely quite strong. Normally, the rifle would at least offset her balance so he deduced that it was most probably the suit that enhanced her speed and strength.

The suit aptly hid her identity however, as a metal hood completely obscured her features. Also, though it was made from some sort of metal, she seemed uninhibited in her movement so it was likely next generation technology.

Heero swore once more. It wasn't much but it would have to do.

* * *

Over the next few days, Heero's life became decidedly more interesting. Of the five ex-pilots, Wufei and Trowa seemed relieved that they had purpose again. Duo and Quatre were the only ones who were truly disturbed by the sudden threat. Heero supposed it was just a little sick that he and some of his comrades only felt at home when in the midst of chaos and violence, but there was little he could do about it. He was in his element now.

Just an hour after the botched assassination attempt, a man who Heero recognized as the head of a manufacturing company called CORVUS appeared on every television. He was alone in a darkened room, sitting at his desk, with a bored look on his face. Heero, however, recognized the excited glimmer in his eye and knew immediately he had ordered the hit.

"People of Earth and the five colonies," he addressed in a matter-of-fact tone. "While this new era of peace is all well and good, I have grown bored with the constant monotony it elicits. For this reason, and because war is good for profits, I, Allan Chiba, president of the CORVUS corporation, declare all out war on you!" Though he tried, the gruff-looking president couldn't help but grin and Heero thought he looked vaguely psychotic.

"And before you send your Preventers after me, consider that this has been a very well thought out plan and you could be sending them to their deaths. _Then_ who would save you all?" He chuckled darkly, but cleared his throat as if he didn't quite mean to do that. "Good luck!"

What? Heero looked around and witnessed the same stunned expression on all five ex-pilots and Sally Po.

"No demands? Nothing?" asked Quatre. Usually when someone tried to declare war, they wanted something in order to prevent it.

Trowa shifted his weight. "It seems his only demand is war," he mused.

Duo groaned and hung his head. "And here I was hoping we could stop fighting for just a few years. Is that so much to ask?"

Heero glanced at him but otherwise ignored him. "We should find out everything we can about them before going in. He mentioned it was a long plan, and it's certain he's planned for our intervention."

Sally nodded. "Yes, guys, dig up all you can on them. See what you can find, and we'll start planning a reconnaissance mission as soon as possible. I want everyone back here in two hours with everything you've come up with. Dismissed!"

Heero, Wufei, and Trowa walked out purposefully while Quatre tried to comfort a disgruntled Duo.

* * *

That night, the group had put together a reconnaissance mission on two different locations. Each was a factory listed as a miscellaneous project in the CORVUS database, and while there were quite a few others, these seemed the most promising.

Heero, Quatre, and Trowa would go to the location on Colony L1 while Wufei, Sally, and Duo would investigate the factory in Germany.

They prepared through the entire day and at 1800, they went their separate ways. Though it was strictly a stealth mission, they were armed and prepared for anything. Heero packed a few explosives on his person and a few side arms, though he knew if there were others like that sniper guarding the factory, they would prove useless.

Heero's group made it to their destination with little difficulty and found themselves on the outskirts of the factory. They each donned a pair of thermal imaging goggles, knowing it would be dark in the factory itself. Supposedly, if the information gathered was correct, any civilian employees were gone for the evening.

They easily made it to the building itself, something that unnerved Heero greatly. Chiba had warned the Preventers that he had contingencies if they even tried to go after him. Regardless, the mission had to be accomplished. They broke into a window near the offices and entered the building.

Heero suggested that once they exited the offices and made their way to the factory floor, they split up to cover more ground. They would survey the area and meet at their entry point in a half hour. Quatre and Trowa nodded and followed orders. Heero readied his pistol and crept along the wall of the factory floor and set up a vantage point.

He seemed to be in a munitions factory, judging from the sheer amount of weaponry in the room. Tanks, missles, rocket launchers, even large-scale explosives – not to mention an impressive assortment of various rifles and shotguns and melee weapons – were scattered neatly in the building. Having this much weaponry certainly made Chiba's declaration of war just a bit more serious than previous threats by smaller fish. He took a few pictures and immediately uploaded them to the Preventer's database.

How had he managed to build all of this without arousing suspicion? He was positive he had checked the CORVUS database just a week ago for such things. Back then, there hadn't been any files whatsoever that would allude to more nefarious activities. When he had checked yesterday, it seemed as if it was an entirely new database. It was obvious this was a tactic by Chiba – he _wanted_ the Preventers suspicious, but not before he was ready.

Heero considered himself a highly skilled hacker, a master even, and so this fairly new company being able to pull the wool over his eyes so easily stung his pride. He stifled a growl as he finished taking pictures of the inventory and moved to meet back at the rendezvous point.

Before he got halfway there, however, a metal-clad figure dropped in front of him. He stumbled back gracelessly to avoid being landed on and stared for a moment, surprised. It was the same sniper from yesterday, just standing there, watching him through the screen of her helmet. It, once again, was completely veiled so he couldn't see his enemy's face.

They just stood there for a moment, watching one another, completely still. Then, in just a flick of her wrist, what appeared to be a foot long hilt erupted from her forearm. She grabbed onto it and in one subtle movement, the hilt had elongated and became a dual-bladed glaive. She swept it down and began a lethal dance that Heero was barely able to dodge. He tumbled, swerved, and jumped back to avoid coming into contact with the stunningly sharp blades.

He noticed, in the back of his mind as he came close to being sliced in half, that there was a distinct lack of gunfire raining upon him. He hoped that Quatre and Trowa had neutralized any threat that approached and were currently in the midst of a plan to either incapacitate the would-be assassin or at least distract her long enough for him to gather his wits.

After no such rescue was attempted, Heero managed to catch a second and grabbed a smoke-bomb out from his belt and threw it in front of him, momentarily blinding his opponent. He quickly hid behind a large tank. He breathed out silently and looked around, took note of the wall of melee weapons close by, and listened for footsteps.

The footsteps he heard were surprisingly light for a metal suit, but they were growing near. His enemy seemed unrushed, as if she were giving purpose to each step. He crept silently to the wall and grabbed a promising-looking sword. He had been just in time, too, as the girl had found him and swept her blade down toward him. He blocked it and the glaive's blade glanced off.

The girl seemed to cock her head to side a bit, as far as Heero could tell through the helmet, and watched him steadily. Almost lightning quick, the girl swept the glaive toward him once again and he barely managed to block it. Each swing of her glaive became more focused and more precise and he knew he would be unable to keep up. He hadn't used a sword in far too long and even though he was good, he was better with a gun. His muscles, though well-developed, screamed with each block. He was utterly on the defensive. If he didn't make an attack soon, he would be done for.

His opportunity came when gunfire assaulted the lithe warrior. Though the bullets ricocheted off her armor, she was momentarily distracted. It was just a long enough time that Heero lunged and pierced her armor-clad torso. Her head whipped in his direction and he pulled his sword out just in time to deflect a desperate swing of her glaive. A smoke bomb came from his left – Quatre he would assume – and he leapt out of the fury of her attacks.

With an unspoken agreement, the ex-pilots scrambled from the building - Heero still holding the sword, Trowa unleashing gunfire as needed from an assault rifle he had snatched from the armory, and Quatre keeping their retreat hidden with smoke bombs. Within moments, they managed to escape relatively unscathed.

* * *

Heero laid the sword down on the table in front of everyone. "The armor she was wearing was completely bulletproof. Even assault rounds just bounced off," he explained to the other ex-pilots, Sally, Noin, and Zechs. "The only thing that managed to break through is this blade, leading me to believe it isn't made out of any normal metal."

Noin nodded and lifted it, examining the otherwise normal-looking broadsword. "Were you able to recover the body? It would be…informative if we could take a look at that armor."

The ex-pilot clenched his jaw and frowned. "She seemed…unfazed…by it. I wouldn't doubt that she survived."

The blue-haired woman scowled and nodded. "I see. We'll take this back to the lab to identify the metal used. Maybe that'll give us a clue as to what sort of material we're dealing with."

Trowa looked over at Wufei. "Did your group manage to find anything?"

"We looked through some internal records and it looks like she isn't the only person with this armor. If what we saw was accurate, they're building an army of people wearing these metal suits."

"How the _hell_ did they manage to keep this hidden?" Duo asked, crossing his arms. "It's not cheap, planning a war. How did they manage to get such funding? And from whom?"

Sally shook her head. "Unfortunately, we were unable to actually find any accounting records."

Heero furrowed his brow. "It's as I thought – we're only finding what they want us to find."

* * *

A young woman clenched her teeth in pain as a doctor cleaned her wound. A tall man with slicked back white-blonde hair stood near by and watched her critically. "I'm surprised you let him get close enough to wound you."

The raven-haired girl ignored him and focused instead on watching the doctor stitch the wound up. Luckily, the former Gundam pilot hadn't hit anything that couldn't be repaired. She felt foolish, with Kraz watching her so closely. The pilot had intrigued her so she hadn't just disposed of him as she had been ordered.

"Playing with prey is fine, Sparrow," murmured the stoic man. "But not when one is ordered to kill it."

Sparrow scowled. "I wasn't playing with him."

Kraz's eyebrows lifted a fraction. "That so? You know, Master Alchiba is quite displeased with your performance."

She remained quiet, feeling hollow. Of course he was. She was brand new, had just woken up, when he had given her a very important mission and she had botched it. Failed utterly. And she had been seen. She'd had a chance to redeem herself through the systematic murder of Heero Yuy, and yet she had let her curiosity run away with her. He, of course, ended up living and she had quite a painful souvenir.

When the doctor finished bandaging her wound, she pulled her legs up to her chest with some difficulty, and rested her forehead on her knees. She would be lucky if Kraz hadn't been sent her to kill her. More than anything, at this moment, she was just tired. She felt as if she had been awake for a thousand years. Since she had first woken up two weeks ago, she had been poked and prodded mercilessly. There had been multitudes of scans she had never seen the results of, nor knew the purpose of.

She almost jumped when she felt a warm hand rest on the top of her head. She looked up, startled, and found herself staring into strange golden eyes. "I will take care of Master Alchiba's temper, Sparrow. Go see Rab. I believe he has repaired your armor. Then get some rest. I have no doubt you will be sent out to rectify this tomorrow." If she didn't know any better, she would have thought Kraz was actually sorry that they were sending her out again so soon.

Before she let her thoughts run her over, she nodded and jumped gracefully off the exam table. She stretched a little and could already feel her wound healing. She would've thought it was strange that she didn't seem to be suffering any lasting damage if she knew anything else. As it was, this was normal to her.

She soundlessly made her way to the CORVUS headquarters' armory, far away from the one on Colony L1.

* * *

"You go too easy on her, Kraz," chided Chiba. He sneered. "I have never seen you with a such a soft touch."

Kraz, expressionless, closed the door behind him.

Chiba sighed heavily. "To be honest, I am quite disappointed with her performance. I had expected a useful soldier from the way Gienah had raved." He took a sip of a vintage Chianti and paused. "I'm beginning to think she was mistaken."

Kraz tilted his head and remained still. "To be fair, Master Alchiba, she was undergoing intense memory reconditioning for months and is still being tested for any sign of the Silver Crystal. This isn't something she would be used to in the circumstances Gienah found her."

The president of CORVUS sneered but nodded. "I supposed that's…fair…" He stood and leaned against the floor-length window behind his desk. "There is nothing to be done, unfortunately, if we want to use the Silver Crystal at some point in the near future. Has there been no progress on locating it? We know that meddling Time Guardian gave it to her just before she was transported."

The tall blond man shook his head. "I'm afraid not. We know that she still has it, but that is all. She still has the only magical signature in this universe, aside from ourselves of course, and it seems to only be amplified. It is logical to assume that is the benefit of the Silver Crystal."

Chiba downed his glass and set it down harshly on his mahogany desk. "I thought so."

"Even with the memory reconditioning, ordering her to give it up seems useless. We're only met with confusion and a disappointed lack of results."

"If she can't remember what it is, then it is unlikely she would remember how to retrieve it." Chiba walked over to his fireplace and fell into a large, overstuffed leather chair. "If I thought this would be like pulling a rock from a black hole, I would've just killed her on sight."

Kraz approached the president and leaned on the other chair, arms crossed against his chest. "I have no doubt she will prove useful very soon, sir. This has been a plan in the making for centuries – let's not give up so easily."

"You're right, of course," Chiba reluctantly conceded. "Now that the Preventers have an inkling of what they're dealing with, they'll want to take action as soon as possible. Have all important materials been relocated?"

Kraz nodded stiffly. "Of course, sir. Anything they destroy now will be scrap metal. They'll think they've got a majority of it and then we show them how wrong they are."

* * *

Just twenty-four hours after the Preventers had infiltrated the CORVUS factories, all twelve were systematically obliterated, nothing but smoldering ruins. It was a resounding success of a mission, and it made Heero's stomach churn unpleasantly. Thankfully, he wasn't the only one left with a bad taste in their mouth.

"It was too easy," spat Sally, leaning over a map of the colonies, and more specifically, the destroyed factories. "And we haven't heard from CORVUS since. I don't believe for a second we did anything more than scratch their exterior."

"Or, you know, it was just that easy?" Duo offered hopefully. He earned himself four glares and one apologetic grimace. He hung his head. "Of course not. Forgive me for not wanting another full-blown war."

Quatre rested his hand on Duo's shoulder, looking at Sally. "What's our plan then? We've looked through their records but they seemed to be gone along with the factories."

Sally sat down and leaned back in her seat. "Noin is still working on the sword. So far, we've been able to rule out most metals that are usually used for such a weapon. It seems to have an infusion of Gundanium alloy, though." She could feel the dread settle on everyone like a wave.

"Why is it that every time we try to destroy the Gundams, they end up being really useful?" Duo moaned, half laughing, though humorlessly.

Wufei's eyes were wide. "You think they have Gundams?"

Sally winced. "I hope not. I don't think we'd be able to rebuild five suits, or even one for that matter, in enough time to stop them. We could be attacked any time now."

"I don't think they have Gundams," Heero admitted. "Judging from the sophistication of the metal armor, it's likely that would be more of a threat. In their files, we saw that any mobile suits they had were standard. I realize that they were feeding this information, but for now at least, I believe they're focusing mainly on the armor."

"Let's hope you're correct."

* * *

Sparrow, clad in her dark metal armor, crept along the roof of the headquarters of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation building, thankful for the heavy clouds covering the moonlight. Her mission was simple – assassinate three very important officials of the ESUN and return. She did not question why these three people, out of all of them, she merely accepted the mission and left without another word. One of them, however, was Foreign Minister Relena Darlian. This was not unexpected.

She reached the edge of the building and jumped down, landing soundlessly on the balcony. She twisted on her feet and hid quickly behind the wall, and turned her head slightly and peeked in.

She was on the top floor, outside the office of Horace Dervin, one of her targets. He was working late tonight, it seemed, a glass of what looked like brandy left untouched next to a pile of paperwork. He was very busy, indeed, and didn't notice as his assassin slipped in through the previously closed balcony doors.

Sparrow crept closer and without hesitation, snapped his neck. She prevented him from falling forward onto his desk and instead pulled him up, her suit giving her the strength to hoist in him over her shoulders. She located a closet and hid his body there.

Out of curiosity, she peeked at the files on his desk. Nothing seemed important, but then, she knew very little about politics and cared even less. However, there was a picture on his desk of a young girl in curly brown pigtails holding a white puppy. She had a happy expression on her face. For no reason that she could think of that moment, she pulled the picture out of the frame and tucked it under her armor.

She scolded herself and left through the balcony, closing the doors behind her. It was beginning to snow now, but it was too warm for it to stick and so would be making the ledges quite slippery. She cursed silently and leapt from one balcony to another.

She reached her destination easily enough to find her next two targets discussing some paperwork. Relena Darlian and Malcolm Dowery. He was a grandfatherly fellow and was laughing heartily at something the honey-blond had said. She gave a cursory glance around the room before judging it empty save for her targets and opened the balcony doors.

Relena whirled and Malcolm looked up startled. "How did you -?!" He never got to finish his outburst and Sparrow fired a bullet between his eyes. She turned her gun on Relena but heard the click of a safety just to her right. She narrowed her eyes and glanced out of her peripheral vision to find the ever-present Heero Yuy pointed a gun to her temple. Or at least, to the temple of her metal helmet.

She would've laughed if it weren't for the easily recognizable sword at her throat. Damn him.

"Put your gun down," he ordered, his words laced with anger. "Or I will kill you."

Sparrow held back a sneer. Her life was not valuable. As long as her mission was accomplished, her life did not matter. And yet, Kraz had told her before she left that she was to come back alive, above all else. She clenched her jaw and dropped her gun on the floor, raising her hands above her head in surrender.

"Now take off your helmet." Heero put the gun back into the back of his jeans and now held only the sword. It was just as well, Sparrow decided, as the only true threat was the sword.

She cocked her head to the side and contemplated. No, she decided, that was definitely not an option. Instead, she gave her wrist an imperceptible flick and brandished her glaive in one flash of a movement. Relena gasped and Heero just managed to jumped back to avoid being sliced in half. That said, the blade was able to graze his abdomen. He brought the sword back up and stood ready, despite bleeding quite well from his chest.

Sparrow unleashed a series of sweeps, Heero managing to catch up. _He's been practicing,_ she mused, almost pleased. She loved a good sparring partner, and while Rab was formidable, he was far too lenient. She ducked under a swing of his and swept her blade under his own feet, which he nimbly dodged. She allowed him to back her up to the balcony before she jumped up on the railing, holding her glaive in front of her.

Heero stood back and seemed unsure of what to do. It was obvious his intent was bring her in alive, possibly dissect her suit and definitely interrogate her. She nodded her head in what could only be perceived as a bow of respect, surprising him, and somersaulted from the fifteenth floor.

Heero almost threw himself against the railing and looked down to see her, once again, land with grave on the ground and take off at break-neck speed.

"Who the _hell_ was that?!" cried a very upset, very confused Relena Darlian.

The perfect soldier hung his head and tried to think of a suitable explanation.

* * *

Sparrow got back to CORVUS in record time, this time completely unharmed. She debriefed with Kraz, who decided that two out of three targets was sufficient enough given the unforeseen complication, and was promptly dismissed. She was positive that Master Alchiba would be displeased, but if Kraz accepted it, then she would say no more.

Still, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of the guilt of failure at having, once again, been stopped from annihilating Relena Darlian at the hands of Heero Yuy. She sipped on her hot chocolate, curled up on her small bed in her small windowless room. It was the same room she had woken up in just two weeks ago.

Heero Yuy. Former pilot of Wing Gundam Zero. As much fun as she was having sparring with him, he had interfered with her missions twice now and injured her once. Something would have to be done about him.

* * *

A/N: And that's chapter two! Starting to get to the interesting parts, I hope. :) Kraz, Gienah, Rab, and Alchiba are all my characters. No touchy. I should have the next chapter out soon enough! I want to thank **aquafina rain** for her lovely review! :D Thank you so much!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon. As awesome as that would be.

-TC


	3. Failure

**Corví Cantus**  
**by Tarin Croft**

**Chapter Three**

"Again!" cried a determined Sparrow, her eyes blazing. She readied her stance for a continuation of the onslaught.

Her sparring partner and trainer stood just a couple feet in front of her, watching her with unconcealed amusement. "You're exhausted, little bit," he cautioned, laughing. His voice was rough but handsome, just like his face. Rab was a rougish young man with wild red hair and smiling hazel eyes. Sparrow would've considered him attractive if not for his wolfish grin and generally irritating demeanor.

She frowned at the nickname, and also at his perceptive comment. It was true, she _was_ wearing thin. She was soaked in sweat, her fringe plastered to her forehead and sweat threatening to fall into her eyes. Her mouth was dry, her limbs were heavy, and she felt close to falling over. They had been training for the better part of six hours, but she still felt she needed to go on. This was the third day in a row.

That infuriating pilot, Heero Yuy, had gotten the drop on her twice more since the incident at the Earth Sphere Unified Nation building. She had been assigned to oversee the destruction of three military bases on Earth. She had successfully obliterated two, when that annoyingly able pilot caught up with her in Russia. His skills with the sword were considerably better and she found herself on the defensive more often than not. Only his reluctance to kill her - likely due to his mission to bring her back alive for questioning; she had read his profile - prevented some lethal blows. At one point, he had gotten the better hand and straddled her, going for her helmet.

She had almost tasted defeat but luckily for her, she managed a decisive blow to his groin that had left him reeling. She had taken that opportunity to escape, barely acknowledging the bullets glancing off her armor.

Since then, she had forced Rab into sparring with her relentlessly for the last three days. During this time, due to her failure in Russia, Alchiba had refused to give her any missions until she proved she was able to at least follow simple orders. This, of course, froze her to the core. It signalled that her use was waning - if she didn't step up her game, it was likely she would be eliminated. When she had admitted this fear to Rab, he quickly agreed to help her.

If nothing else, Rab was a fierce and loyal friend, even in the relatively short time she had gotten to know him.

Sparrow shook her violet locks and refocused. "No. I can't stop now. Kraz mentioned I might be sent out soon. If I fail..." She paled just a little, trying in vain to squash the feeling of dread creeping in her stomach.

It wasn't that she was afraid to die. Dying was just something that happened to the living; there was little one could do to avoid it. She only wanted to die on her terms, however, not due to failure and shame.

"I get it," replied Rab in a serious tone. It wasn't a tone he used often. He rushed her then, his striking sword barely dodged by a quick roll.

They continued like this for another hour before Sparrow was finally knocked back, her limbs barely moveable. Rab watched in impressed exasperation as she struggled to her feet. "If you say 'again' one more time, I'm gonna knock you out, little bit."

Sparrow let out a sound that resembled a cross between a laugh and a moan. She dragged herself over to a bench and sipped on some water, regarding him with a skeptical look. "Rab. We've been going at it for seven hours."

"Yep!" he exclaimed, stretching out his calves.

She frowned. "You're barely sweating and completely unwinded. Every single time, Rab, every single time. I don't believe I've ever even seen you breathe heavily."

"Is that right?"

"How?" It was barely a question, more of a demand. Her eyes were sparkling with curiosity and suspicion. "How is that possible?"

Rab fingered his jaw for a moment in what looked to be consideration. Then his lips spread into a winning smile that would've made Sparrow's stomach flip if she were anyone else. "Magic!"

The answer almost caused her to fall forward in shock and irritation. Instead, she slumped her shoulders and stared stonily at him. "You're so weird."

The red-head pouted at her and threw a towel in her face. "So are you!"

Blinking confusedly, she pulled the towel from her face and dried the back of her neck. "Come again?"

"That little trick you pull with your injuries. That's not normal Sparrow. _Normal_ people can't do that."

"I don't do anything!" she argued. She willed the feeling in her legs to return but they were still as leaden as they had been when she had first sat down. "It just...happens! I can't control it and nobody's been able to explain it..."

"Yeah, so it's weird!"

She used the last of the strength in her arms to chuck the towel back at him, which he had dodged with a surprised jump. "Shut up, Rab!" She shocked herself with panic thrumming in her chest. Why was she getting so touchy? The two would often squabble, just like siblings, and she had never been struck with such...fear. No, not quite fear, but close to it.

Rab settled next to her and ruffled her hair. "Sorry, little bit. Didn't mean to offend." He offered a canned green tea as a peace offering.

After a moment, she took it and flushed in shame. "I didn't mean to get angry," she admitted in a small voice.

The young man chuckled and nudged her slightly with his shoulder. "Don't worry about it."

"You two get into it again?" asked a smooth voice from the edge of the training room.

Their two heads snapped up in unison. Kraz. He had arrived completely unnoticed. How did he always do that?

"He started it," muttered Sparrow.

Rab looked at her, outraged. "You're the one who called me weird. _You_ started it!"

Sparrow smiled teasingly and lightly punched him in the shoulder. It hurt her arm to do so and she instantly regretted it.

"Rab, you _are _weird," Kraz said in a voice that quelled any argument on Rab's tongue.

The violet-haired girl turned to the newly arrived man with a look of apprehension. "Did you need something, Kraz?" she asked, all politeness. She was still unsure of Kraz. Though he had comforted her that one time, there was a distance in his eyes that bespoke of haunted memories. She found she didn't want to know what had caused that strange appearance, due to her own fear.

He bowed his head slightly at her. "Master Alchiba has assigned you another mission."

She drew her lips into a thin tight line. "Oh?" she asked, voice devoid of emotion. "What is it?"

"So far, our strikes have been toward those who would be directly involved in the war. Master Alchiba has decided to up the stakes - he wants to instill absolute fear into our enemies."

"Go on..."

Kraz paused a moment, a careful stoney mask slipping over his features. Sparrow almost missed the slight transformation. "The target is an orphanage in Spain. There are to be no survivors. You will arrive at 03:00."

A heavy silence descended upon the room. Rab was looking into an empty corner of the room, avoiding anyone's gaze. His jaw was clenched, but that was the only thing betraying his own emotionless mask. Sparrow's own face was completely blank. Her eyes were seeing past Kraz now as she imagined the task laid out before her.

An orphanage. Full of children. Innocents. She was trained for this, but every instinct was violently protesting. She swallowed thickly, face carefully guarded, as she nodded shortly. "Mission accepted," she replied in a tight voice.

With that, she rose and stiffly made her way to the door.

"Sparrow," Kraz called out.

She stopped and half-turned, meeting his eyes. They were glittering with some unreadable emotion. It was...disconcerting to see that much feeling behind those golden eyes.

"This...is your last chance," he warned in a soft voice. "If you aren't successful, Master Alchiba will order your retirement."

Of course, Sparrow knew by "retirement" Kraz really meant "death." Staring into his eyes, she determined the emotion behind them was a mixture of apprehension and concern, unreadable only in their rarity. Kraz was never so expressive. This filled her instantly with worry. Regardless, she nodded and again and quickened her pace.

She had eight hours.

* * *

At midnight, Heero Yuy received a private message on his laptop. It was from an unknown source, completely untraceable, with only one message:

SPAIN. ANA MARIA'S HOUSE FOR CHILDREN. 03:00.

It lacked any details, any specifics. The user logged off immediately after the message was sent. How this stranger had bypassed all of his security was beyond impressive, but the message weighed more on his mind. What exactly did this mean?

He calculated that it would take him all three hours to procure transport and get to Spain. It left him no time to call for backup if this was a trap. But if it wasn't... Curiosity got the better of him. He grabbed his pistol, coat, and the sword and left immediately.

* * *

Heero had just gotten to the orphanage at 2:55 AM. All was quiet except for the occasional late-night driver that passed by. He ducked into the shadows, his hand on the hilt of the sword strapped to his back, his eyes darting around for any sign of movement.

Instead of any movement, he found an out-of-place character standing almost too still just a few yards away in the playground. It was the armor-plated assassin he always seemed to find. He drew his sword and approached, careful and ready for anything.

Oddly enough, she seemed to barely acknowledge his presence. Her left fist was clenched around a small cylindrical object and as Heero recognized it, his stomach sunk sickeningly.

"They will all die in under two minutes." Her voice was mechanically obscured, but it was definitely female. It was also strangely empty and Heero wondered if that was due to the interference. "There will be no survivors."

Heero started forward when her hand reached out suddenly, thrusting the object in front of her. Her grip seemed to shake. In fact, her entire body seemed to shake slightly even through the metal armor.

"I counted. Ninety three children, fifteen staff members. All asleep. They have no idea... I'm going to kill them all."

One minute.

Heero crept forward, moving slowly so as not to startle.

She turned her head to him, halting his movement. "Unless you stop me." Her hand wavered. "If you stop me, they'll all live." Heero couldn't tell if the voice box had cracked or if had been natural.

"But this is my mission. I cannot fail again. So I must continue." She paused. "Unless you stop me."

It finally clicked. She was begging him to stop her. He knew the strangling feeling of completing a mission all too well, even if that mission was horrific. She was duty-bound to slaughter ninety three children and fifteen staff members. In her mind, she had no choice.

In one fluid movement, he grabbed her wrist, turned it over, and stole the cylinder from her palm. Her arm dropped to her side, almost in relief.

"I failed." She almost seemed...happy?

Heero lifted the sword to her throat. "I'm taking you into custody, without struggle." He touched the point to her armored throat. "If you resist I will kill you where you stand."

She raised her arms in surrender and tilted her head. "That's not necessary, Heero Yuy. I have failed too many times. I will no longer be a problem. You must continue to be vigilant, however," she warned. "I am not Master Alchiba's only operative. Nor am I his most dangerous asset."

Before Heero could react, she threw down a smoke bomb, obscuring his vision instantly. He could hear her run away with furious speed. He wouldn't be able to catch her even if he could see her.

Swearing at yet another escape attempt and startled by her warning, he ventured toward the orphanage to disarm the bombs.

* * *

Sparrow entered the facility and undressed from her armor. Dressed in a long-sleeve black shirt, a pair of cotton sleep pants, and socks, she exited her room and walked toward Master Alchiba's office to debrief. If she was going to die, she was going to be comfortable.

She made it to his corridor with little trouble, until Kraz blocked her path. "Please excuse me, Kraz. I must debrief with Master Alchiba," she said in an empty voice.

Kraz crossed his arms. "Sparrow... Once you step through that threshold, you'll be facing your death sentence."

Sparrow frowned and hung her head, her fringe hiding her wide eyes. "I realize that."

"You couldn't complete your mission. In fact, Heero Yuy happened to arrive just in time."

She ignored the question on the tip of her tongue of just how he had known that. She had sent that message using every back door she had known of (and she knew many); it had been completely untraceable. Or so she had thought. Instead of trying to cover her betrayal, she let out a cracked whisper. "They were innocent..." Tears threatened to breach the surface of her eyes, but she willed them back.

She felt a firm hand on her shoulder and she looked up into Kraz's eyes. "I'll be behind you."

Somehow, Sparrow felt a double meaning in that statement but couldn't understand why. The tears that had been brimming spilled over and she nodded. As they walked forward, she wiped all trace of them from her face. Master Alchiba would not see her weakness.

* * *

It had only taken half a second after admitting her failure that Alchiba ordered her to be taken away. Two of his armed guards grabbed her and dragged her from the room to who-knows-where. Kraz kept his gaze steady on her, his strong stare keeping the panic rising in her chest from reaching the surface.

As Sparrow was escorted out, Alchiba watched Kraz with an icy stare. "It would be unwise to give in to your attachment, Kraz." His voice was thick with warning. "One would think to question your loyalties."

Kraz tilted his head forward, a few stray pieces of slicked-back blond hair falling into his eyes. Though there was nothing but anger in his heart, his eyes were empty. "Of course, Master Alchiba."

Alchiba steepled his fingers. "I've grown tired of her failures. If she isn't going to be useful, I have no reason to keep her alive. I've given permission to extract the crystal by any means necessary. The process will likely kill her."

"Yes, sir."

"Tell Gienah she may begin."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Princess Gienah watched in wicked delight as Sparrow was strapped to a cold steel table. Her clothes had been discarded, and she stared stoically at the ceiling above her. Her eyes were determined not to show fear. "She's such a fun little pet; it's going to be a shame when she's dead," she told Kraz as he entered.

Kraz remained silent and kept his eyes on the small woman being so defiant in the next room. She would not repeat that moment of weakness she had revealed in the hallway. She was going to face her death with ferocity. He almost smirked in appreciation.

Gienah shrugged and twirled her candy blue hair in her fingers. "I do wish I could play with her some more... Oh well!" With that, she unceremoniously threw open the door and stepped through.

Sparrow didn't acknowledge her in the least, causing the princess to pout. Somehow, she felt she recognized the oddly-colored woman but couldn't place it. The intense hatred stirring in her heart for this stranger surprised her.

"This isn't going to be easy. It's going to hurt - a lot." Gienah was smiling like a girl who had just gotten her first puppy. "You're going to want to pass out but I can't let that happen. You're going to beg me to just kill you, but I can't do that either. At least, not until I get what I want."

Sparrow almost asked what she wanted, but decided it was a futile question. The likelihood of the woman with the insane eyes answering was pretty much zero. Instead, she just narrowed her eyes and decided to ignore her. Why couldn't she just get it over with?

Without warning, the woman threw out her hand, fingers splayed, and suddenly her entire body crackled with what could only be described as dark energy. She clenched her jaw, but the pain was incredible. Every fiber of her body was a live-wire. Pain surged through every pore and assaulted her on every level.

When Gienah cackled in amusement, the pain only intensified until Sparrow could no longer hold in her scream. She could barely hear herself; that inhuman wailing couldn't be coming from her.

Her screams tore through her throat until she swore in some part of her ravaged mind it had started bleeding. Her body was arching off the table, her mind grasping and scratching for some way to escape. There wasn't one.

Kraz watched stoically, his eyes completely empty. His breathing had almost completely stopped, his body tense until his fingers began to twitch. He willed himself to calm down but seeing this tiny girl in such agony stirred something within him.

It was then that Rab burst through the door, hearing that awful screech from across the base. "Kraz, what is going..." His voice trailed off as he caught sight of his sparring partner thrashing wildly from the pain of Gienah's power. Without thinking, he threw himself forward, only to be caught and held back by Kraz. "Kraz, stop! What are you doing! She's going to kill her!"

Kraz did not release his hold. "I know. Master Alchiba has ordered it."

Rab turned on him with wide, horrified eyes. "What?!"

"She failed her mission. Willingly. He has lost patience and is set on retrieving the crystal, even risking her death."

Rab struggled briefly but stilled after a short while. His eyes sparkling with anger and grief. "And there's nothing we can do."

"No. You know we cannot directly defy him." His voice was quiet as he watched Gienah for any sign that she could hear them. It was clear that she was too caught up in her "fun."

Rab's mouth was tight as he watched his friend wear herself out screaming. His own heart hurt for her, but Kraz was right. It was useless to defy Master Alchiba. There wasn't anything he could do, and he hated himself for it.

Suddenly, a bright purple light blazed from Sparrow's forehead, filling the entire room in its glow. Her screams became more panicked until they stopped altogether, all traces of feeling falling from her small face. Her body began to rise of its own volition, the straps holding her down breaking effortlessly.

Gienah's grin widened and she threw more power behind her attack as it completely engulfed the glowing woman.

Sparrow's eyes were open but empty, the h-shaped symbol glowing brightly on her forehead. A strange outfit flickered over her body but it disappeared too quickly to see. The purple light became almost blinding until it disappeared altogether. Sparrow's body fell with a sickening thump onto the cold hard table. Glittering above her chest was a shattered silver crystal. Tiny specks of purple light sparked around it until it grew dull.

Before the shards could fall, Gienah gathered them into her palm. "I hope this is all of it." She frowned. "Is it supposed to shatter?" she asked nobody in particular.

Neither Kraz nor Rab answered her, instead they stared mutely at the lifeless body. Gienah pushed past them, ignoring their dead stares as she practically skipped out of the room.

* * *

Hotaru was aware of very little other than a dull pain scratching at her from beyond the intense light that flooded her body. It was a familiar light, the warmth of an old friend, though it felt a little strange. Her magic wasn't usually this...active.

Random thoughts that made little sense floated about her mind. She had a vague sense she had transformed, though it quickly went away. Suddenly, everything was so very wrong. She could feel a stirring from within, from a place she should not have been feeling. It was where she had placed the crystal, tucked deep away into her soul.

Just seconds before losing consciousness in that strange room, she had moved the crystal from her pocket and absorbed it into her very soul. It was extremely dangerous, but she had no choice. It was the only way to keep it safe.

Now she could feel a creeping energy trying to pull it from her soul. It was ravaging her to get to it, shredding and slicing and burning. It was all she could do hold onto the crystal. She knew this would not last long - they would get the crystal regardless. There was only one thing she could do. She gathered all of her remaining power and encompassed the crystal, crushing it. It began to crack and then suddenly shattered completely.

Just as she felt the pulls of nothingness, what seemed to be half of the shards fell back into their hiding place within her soul while the other half floated above her. As she let go, she saw a long-fingered hand gather the remaining pieces of the crystal and disappear.

* * *

A/N: That's it for tonight, folks! Sorry for the short chapter (it's about a thousand words less than I usually write for this story.) That was the best place to end it, I think. I wanted to get this up before I went to bed, and I've grown terribly tired. Forgive me! Also, I apologize for the wait - I'm in the process of planning a wedding and participating in a RPG so I'm a bit swamped. Sorry! The next chapter should come quicker... I hope...

Anyway, please review! :D

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon.** I do own my own characters (Gienah, Alchiba, Rab, and Kraz) however.

-TC


	4. Loyalties

**Corví Cantus**  
**by Tarin Croft**

**Chapter Four**

Sailor Pluto, Guardian to the Gates of Time and one of two remaining Sailor Senshi, stood solemnly before the Gates of Time. Her long dark green hair tumbled over itself in the light breeze that seemed to be constantly flowing through the fog. She held her staff close to her as she watched the scene before her unfold with despairing garnet eyes.

The senshi of destruction was screaming, her body thrashing about in agony. She knew what would come next, and it disturbed her greatly. Sailor Saturn always had been the strongest of them all, the complete antithesis of their beloved princess, with the power of ultimate destruction. Giving her the silver crystal was risky as it was the embodiment of everything pure and light. The heart of the Moon Kingdom.

The most obvious outcome, should Sailor Saturn choose to use it, would be such a clash of power that it could take out every universe in existence. Thankfully, the senshi knew better than to try to use such a source of power so different than her own. However, what the small girl had said to her before their parting was true: the crystal, being so completely pure, would eventually eat away at her own power and consume her entirely.

This new development would change everything. The crystal _shattered_ - a feat thought impossible since the dawn of its creation. The crystal was the strongest power in any universe; that Sailor Saturn's power could cause it to shatter was terrifying. It meant that her raw energy was _much_ stronger than anyone had previously thought possible.

Though she loved her adopted daughter greatly, she couldn't help but try to think of ways to stop her should she become corrupted with such power. The chances of such a thing happening were very slim, as Sailor Saturn was used to being responsible with her great power already. Still... She was worried.

Her eyes narrowed when half of the shards disappeared back into Hotaru's soul, while the other half were stolen by that loathsome Princess Gienah. She still had little clue as to who this new group was. They were clearly not from either universe, though why they were in this one, with so little magic in it, was disconcerting. She only knew that their power was incredible and formidable.

She hoped that the shattered crystal would prove useless in its state, but a dark worry in the back of her mind told her that this would not be the case.

* * *

Kraz approached the still body before him. Rab hung back, unable to look at her any longer. Doctors surrounded him, most afraid to step any nearer to the man than they were. He lifted two fingers to the young woman's neck and kept them there for a couple of seconds. He met each one of their gazes. "She's dead. I'll take it from here."

They all knew better than to check for themselves. If Kraz said it, as Master Alchiba's right-hand-man, then it was truth. One of the doctors scribbled the time of death and Kraz swept the limp form into his arms.

His eyes were unreadable as they met with Rab's. Something in them made the younger man's heart skip a beat and he followed after the blond. Once they were out of earshot, Rab stopped his friend. "Is she really...?"

Kraz looked around and shook his head almost imperceptibly. "Almost, but not quite. There is a pulse, but it is very, very weak." They continued walking until they reached the parking lot. "You should stay here to avoid drawing suspicion. I believe Master Alchiba wants you to get ready for Minkar's deployment."

Rab paled. "He's really going through with it then."

Kraz nodded as he gently placed Sparrow in the backseat of his car, covering her with a blanket. "Of course he is. He has the crystal, so he is going to use it."

"Can he? I mean, you saw it. It was completely broken!"

Kraz started the ignition and paused, breathing out heavily. "I wouldn't doubt it. It will take some time, though, to put it back together and get use out of it." He shifted the gear into place. "I will be back before sundown. Should Master Alchiba ask, I'm getting rid of the body."

Rab nodded firmly as Kraz pulled out and sped off.

* * *

"_I have failed too many times. I will no longer be a problem. You must continue to be vigilant, however. I am not Master Alchiba's only operative. Nor am I his most dangerous asset."_

The woman's words echoed in Heero's mind. He had gotten back at dawn and had roused his fellow Preventers with the news: the orphanage, bombs, the assassin's strange behavior, and her warning. It didn't sit well with him.

She was a formidable opponent, obviously intelligent and a ruthless combatant. Would her leader get rid of her so quickly? He thought back and realized that he _had_ thwarted her missions more than was acceptable to a soldier of their caliber. If this man was really as merciless as he seemed, then there was no question that she would be disposed of. That she wasn't even their most dangerous resource was upsetting.

He once again found himself sifting through file after file on the CORVUS Corporation. He didn't really expect to find anything. After all, anything he had found thus far had been planted.

Suddenly, he furrowed his brow. A back door? A piece of code that hadn't been there ever before. It took a better part of an hour before Heero was able to get through. It was certainly tricky but he knew he could sneak in undetected. Someone had provided this, and though he was suspicious, the information was...enlightening.

Though it didn't seem to be full access, it was enough to find a few files that were of interest. In particular, the blueprints to what looked like the suit the assassin had been wearing whenever they crossed paths. He printed them out immediately and quickly sifted through the other files. His heart was beating rapidly, just waiting to be locked out, but it never happened.

He then found the file called 'SPARROW.' Curious, he delved in and scanned the contents. Basic training reports, mission successes and failures, performance reviews, and psychological and physical profile. It didn't give a picture or a real name, but from what he could gather, Sparrow was indeed the assassin. The file started only a few months ago, though she had been activated just within the past month. Her newness surprised him - she hadn't even been trained since birth, yet she possessed such skill.

Then his eyes focused on a certain piece of information:

STATUS: DEACTIVATED

Deactivated. In no uncertain terms, he knew exactly what that meant. So her concern wasn't unfounded after all. She had been disposed of.

Heero stomped firmly on the fluttering sense of disappointment. That was a completely inappropriate emotion to have. She had been formidable and though he allowed himself to admit he had even almost had...fun...in their encounters, it was absolutely ridiculous that he shouldn't be relieved at this revelation. He chalked it up to the fact that he had grown familiar with her style and would now have to learn someone else's habits from scratch.

He exited the system after printing out her file and noticed the back door disappeared without a trace. He narrowed his eyes but gathered the spoils of this small victory and called together the Preventers once more.

* * *

Hotaru's mind faded into consciousness. Before opening her eyes, she took stock of her surroundings based on what she could feel and hear. Comfortable bed, needle in her arm, bright light filtering through windows on either side of her head behind her. Birds singing. A faint smell of lavender.

Her limbs were sore. In fact, her entire body was consumed by a feeling of utter soreness as if someone had dropped a wall on her. She could move, however, the movement seemed limited by straps holding her wrists and ankles.

Again. She really had to stop waking up like this.

She heard a shifting and knew she was not alone. She steeled herself and opened her eyes then. A man with slicked back blond hair was engrossed in a leather-bound novel, his golden eyes scanning the page as he read. He had a very handsome face, cold in its beauty, with sharp and angular features and a strong jaw. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed in concentration.

He was dressed in black, stark against his pale skin. His clothes looked obscenely expensive.

It seemed he noticed her staring because his eyes looked up just then and held hers steadily. They remained like that for what seemed like an eternity before the man shut the book and stood gracefully.

She couldn't help but feel she recognized him. She tried desperately to think and could recall only a name and a general feeling of apprehension and the beginnings of trust.

Kraz.

"You've been out quite a while." His voice was clear and patient, though empty. He watched her for any reaction and then checked her vitals. His fingers were surprisingly warm for such a cold demeanor.

Hotaru struggled a little against her bindings but Kraz held her wrist firmly. "For both of our protection. I will remove them soon enough."

She had no choice but to listen and instead focused her attention on the ceiling as he continued to check her over. Once he was satisfied, he stepped back, crossing his arms and resumed his staring.

Hotaru cleared her throat - dry, scratchy in its disuse - and met his gaze. "I'm not going to attack you unless you give me reason to."

This didn't seem to bring any peace of mind to the man. "I'm waiting to see if you find any reason to attack me. Do you remember anything?"

She cut him a look. "I should assume you were involved in the abduction then, shouldn't I? You seem wary enough."

Kraz's features hardened. "So you've regained _those_ memories. Unsurprising, considering what you've been through. Such treatment was bound to break through the conditioning."

"I'll consider that a confirmation." She exhaled deeply and her features softened. "Despite that, I get the sense that we know each other and I trusted you at one point - or was starting to, at least. Kraz, correct? It's the only name I can connect with your face."

Kraz's eyebrows rose considerably and she had the vague sense this was the most emotion she had seen out of his marble-like face. "Impressive. You retain some memory of what happened then, I assume."

Hotaru winced, remembering. "Only the pain, the light, and then... Well. I'm guessing you were there. You know what happened."

The blond nodded and began unbuckling her restraints.

She absentmindedly rubbed her wrists as she watched him. "Is there any way to retrieve it? If I trusted you, then you mustn't be a complete enemy..."

Kraz frowned and shook his head. "Not without defying Master Alchiba."

Master Alchiba. The name left Hotaru feeling both cold and hot with hatred, and a cord of fear wrapped around her heart. "What do you mean by that?" He couldn't defy him? Either you were working for or against a person. It was obvious that nursing her back to health wasn't something the ringleader would want.

"I cannot defy him. It is physically impossible. I am...bound to him by a life-debt."

Hotaru raised her eyebrows. "What? A life-debt? I understand pride but..."

"A life-debt is nothing to be taken lightly," he cut her off with a glare. "Not where we come from."

"And where is that?"

Kraz shook his head, tight-lipped. "I did not bring you here to give my life story."

"Why _did_ you bring me here? I doubt this leader of yours wants me alive at this point, now that he has..." The dread that was threatening to consume her finally washed over her completely. This was bad, so very _bad_.

"You're the only one who can stop him."

The revelation jarred her back to the present. "Come again?"

"Even without the crystal, you have extraordinary power. I'm not blind. You were able to shatter the Silver Crystal - ultimate source of all power in the universe. And you weren't even at full strength." He sighed. "Master Alchiba has over-reaching ambitions. His endgame will inevitably destroy all. He is strong, but he cannot control such power. He is too close to victory now. Because I cannot take him out on my own, I must rely on you."

Hotaru sat very still, mulling this over. Always a soldier, one way or another. The sentiment made her think of Setsuna, but she quickly pushed the memory back, unwilling to let those feelings play in her mind. She swallowed thickly. "Are you positive? I have great power, but its sole purpose is destruction, bringing forth rebirth. It's not a power that saves by the generally accepted definition."

"It's the only option we have."

Sighing, she threw the bed covers off her legs. She was clad in an over-sized nightshirt, bare feet finding the thick deep red rug on the side of the bed. "What's step one then? I assume you have a plan?"

Kraz nodded and watched her rise to her feet, feeling out the use of her legs, stretching just a little. "You're going to join up with the Preventers."

The order rocked her and she fell back on the bed gracelessly. "What?" She only had an amorphous idea of who or what the Preventers were. In the forefront of her mind she saw a set of intense deep blue eyes watching her with interest. She shook the image from her mind.

"They would be considered this universe's equivalent of the senshi from your world. They are singlehandedly taking on the war and trying to prevent it. Of course, they haven't had too much success, thanks to you."

She saw a distorted image of a hand grabbing a small cylindrical object from her hand and an overwhelming sense of relief. She frowned. "And why do I have to join them? There is no magic in this world. I'm sure my...condition would be at least surprising."

"Master Alchiba has other, more mundane, machinations at his disposal, not just magic ones. In order to take him down, you'll have to deal with those first to weaken his influence in this world."

"And why not just charge in guns blazing, so to speak?" It wasn't her fighting style, but it would certainly be unexpected.

"He's using the chaos created by this war as a power source. It's how he plans to corrupt the crystal for his use. It's a...specialty of his, to create chaos and feed off of it. (_Him and every other power-hungry villain,_ Hotaru thought, keeping silent.) The war is making his plans more concrete. Without it, he won't be as strong and you'll have more of a fighting chance."

Hotaru frowned. "Why do I have the feeling you're going to be little help? You're quite aptly leaving yourself out of this scenario."

Kraz shifted uncomfortably but regained composure quickly. "Again, I cannot defy him..."

"And how am I supposed to?!" she cried out, her patience snapping. "I have only a basic knowledge of computers and the technology in this world. In fact, my knowledge could be considered infantile!"

"_You_ may not have much knowledge," he replied darkly. "But _Sparrow_ is considerably well-informed."

Hotaru's breath caught in her throat and she remembered her hands dancing gracefully over a keyboard, creating a back door through the CORVUS system that could be used only once. Though it would only grant limited access, it would have to be enough. She didn't have enough time to do anything more before she had to debrief with Master Alchiba...

Kraz nodded, seeing her features tighten with the memory. "Do you remember how you did it?"

The violet-haired girl nodded absently and fell back on her pillow. "When do I leave? How am I supposed to join them? I highly doubt they're going to let me just walk through their front door."

"There's not much they could do to stop you, not with this." With that, he gestured toward a suit of armor that looked distressingly familiar. "You leave in twenty-four hours."

* * *

It was around noon when Hotaru stood in front of the Preventers Headquarters. She wore the armor she had worn when she had been Sparrow. Truth be told, she rather liked the anonymity the suit provided. As a senshi, the only thing keeping her identity a secret was the strange concealing magic that seemed to be cast. It always posed a problem if someone tried too hard to figure out your identity, especially if they knew you personally.

If she continued to be honest with herself, she was quite nervous. She didn't know how the ex-pilots would react to her sudden switch to the "good" side. She knew they'd be suspicious, however, and she wasn't looking forward to explaining just _why _she was suddenly willing to help them.

She drew a deep breath and steeled herself, walking through the double glass doors. She stood in the spacious lobby, surrounded by interns and receptionists. They all looked up and stared wide-eyed at her. Several guards drew their weapons and pointed them at her heart. She grimaced and knew that they wouldn't have stood a chance if she were here to attack them.

She could hear the guards calling for backup and knew her image was plastered over every security screen available. She didn't move, however, knowing it would only initiate a barrage of bullets. The ricochet would injure only the civilians around her.

Just a moment later, she came face-to-face with none other than the Perfect Soldier himself. He had the damned sword drawn already and was watching her curiously. Those damn eyes, she thought. As Sparrow, she had been able to shut out the intensity but Hotaru could feel her stomach tightening. It was not a pleasant sensation.

She shifted into a more confident pose. It was easy to appear more confident than she felt, as the suit was quite intimidating itself. She bowed her head at Heero as she had so many times before. "I mean no harm." Her voice was once again obscured by the mechanical device in her helmet, and thus sounded much stronger than she felt.

Heero narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but it was the pilot with the long braided hair that spoke. "Right... Forgive us if we don't believe you."

She frowned, though her stance betrayed nothing. What she wouldn't give to be Sailor Saturn right now. She always felt more sure of herself when transformed. She was more at home, and holding her glaive gave her a sense of comfort. Bringing her glaive out now would probably come off as hostile.

"Why are you here?" asked Heero. He had the point of the sword raised to her throat in warning.

"I would rather not have this discussion so...openly," she replied, her eyes darting around to the civilians. If things got ugly, they would surely get hurt.

The Perfect Soldier nodded and glanced at a tall brunette man with only one visible eye. "We'll lead her to an interrogation room on the lower levels." He stepped around her until he was quite close indeed to her, drawing up behind her. The sword came around and the edge of the blade rested against her neck. One false move, and she would be decapitated.

The pilot he had glanced at began walking, and the rest of them followed.

* * *

Hotaru stood in the middle of the private room with terrible fluorescent lighting and no windows, suit still masking her identity. She was the center of attention in a ring of ex-pilots. They each scrutinized her mercilessly, guarded, knowing that should she decide to attack, they were probably screwed.

"Why are you here?" asked the Shenlong pilot. Wufei - Hotaru thought that was his name. "And why shouldn't we just kill you now?"

Hotaru didn't really know where to start, and so she remained quiet until she thought of a proper response. She hadn't really been able to think of a reason that sounded sincere to her own ears. Thankfully, Heero provided her with an opening.

"You seemed sure that you would be deactivated."

Her head snapped up and she faced him. She remembered saying that, and it was the truth, even though it hadn't turned out like she had expected. Kraz had explained to her that he told everyone she was dead, when in fact she had just looked that way. "I was. Apparently I became...ineffective. Though I succeeded, I was always stopped." This comment was directed entirely at Heero. She couldn't remember exactly what had happened - those memories were fuzzy at best - but Kraz had filled her in when he could.

"They attempted to kill me," she continued. "Though that seems to have failed..."

"What exactly do you want?" That was from Wufei, who looked increasingly irritated at the current situation.

She bristled; she didn't like being talked to in that tone but she supposed it couldn't be helped. Being on the defensive didn't exactly make her forthcoming with information. If only they could skip this part and just get to the part where she was already part of the team. It felt too similar to when the Outer Senshi had been trying to kill her. She felt constantly under suspicion, though at least this time there was a reason for it. "I suppose I've come to lend a hand. I've realized that CORVUS is...not who I want to be...working for..."

"Why don't you take off your suit?" asked the blond one.

She glared at him, though it was pointless as he couldn't see it. "I can't be certain I won't be killed upon doing so," was the terse reply.

"Taking off your suit might make you a little more sympathetic," he said in a convincing tone.

Hotaru pursed her lips and considered it. If they killed her, the universe would be doomed. Then again, she thought selfishly, at least she'd be out of this mess. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind. She couldn't afford to think like that.

She raised her hands to her helmet slowly, as she noticed Heero's sword flinch toward her. She released the mechanism that unlocked the helmet from her suit. She twisted it slightly and raised it above her head, eventually dropping it on the floor. She shook out her violet locks and made eye contact with Heero.

The room was so tense, and Heero was just _staring_ at her. It was obvious they hadn't expected her to look as she did. It made her cheeks burn and she moved her gaze to the floor. She knew she looked young, she always had, but did they really need to stare so? It was just like high school...

Trying to ignore them, she removed the rest of the suit, saying goodbye to the wonderful anonymity, as it revealed her small frame dressed in a pair of black tights, black flats, a short black skirt, and a long-sleeve black shirt. It was similar to an outfit she had worn back in her previous universe. She crossed her arms, fists clenched, as her fingers itched to summon forth her glaive.

She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, meeting each of their gazes. She pushed all emotions aside and a stoic mask slipped onto her face.

"Who are you?" The long-haired pilot finally asked. She thought she remembered his name being Duo.

That was a question she really had no idea how to answer. After a moment, she submitted and answered truthfully. "My codename is Sparrow."

A hint of understanding passed through Heero's eyes and Hotaru remembered that she had laid out that back door for him to look through. Her file must've been among the things he'd seen. She smirked. "Find that access point all right, Yuy?"

He gave her a hard look, brimming with suspicion and confusion.

"I was hoping you would," she continued. "Though I apologize if the access was limited. I only had a fraction of the time I had hoped I would have." She fixed him with a look burning with determination and she noticed his eyebrows go up in what looked to be surprise. "I began disagreeing with their methods before they deactivated me, as you of all people should know."

"Why should we trust you?"

"You shouldn't. You have no reason to. But you should at the very least use me." She fought the blush that threatened to rise to her cheeks as she noted that the suggestion had sounded wrong. "As an asset," she quickly added. "You don't even have to give me access. It would be in your best interest to at least use my knowledge."

The door opened just then to reveal a honey-blonde woman with twin braids. Her glare was icy, but she looked vaguely triumphant. "Very well. We will use you - but you will remain on the premises without exception. And you will answer _every_ question we have, including your full name."

"Ah..." Hotaru faltered. She knew why this new person wanted her full name: to get a more detailed background. She wouldn't find anything, however, and wouldn't that look a little suspicious? She couldn't very well give a fake name, though, as if she chose the wrong name it could incriminate her. "Um... Tomoe Hotaru..." she answered in a small voice.

The blonde woman looked somewhat surprised at how easily she had answered and nodded. She straightened and looked at Heero. "I will leave the rest of the questioning to you. Duo, Trowa, take the suit down to the lab so they can start analyzing it. Quatre, Wufei, I need you to go over the information Heero procured from the CORVUS database with me." She nodded once more and everyone set out to do what had been ordered.

Hotaru and Heero were then left by themselves and more than ever, the violet-haired girl's fingers itched to summon her glaive. He was watching her again and she leveled her gaze at him as well. She would _not_ cower under his stare. She was a soldier, despite being in this very confusing situation, and needed to act like one.

"You mentioned CORVUS has a more dangerous asset than you - what did you mean?"

She turned and walked slowly around to the other side of the room. She stopped at the other wall, her hand lifting to touch the it. Her eyes were downcast as she fought to remember. Her memories had been returning, though they were jumbled and at times didn't make sense. She did recall saying this, however. She just had had no idea how true her words had been. Finally, she spoke in a sorrowful voice tinged with shame. "It's true. From what I could gather, they are building an army of those powerful suits - though unmanned. They are a bit weaker than a manned suit as they rely solely on data. But that it is not what I was referring to."

Hotaru turned back to face Heero, her arms crossed over her chest. "Minkar. She is their most valued weapon."

"Minkar?"

She nodded. "She is strong, skilled, and completely and utterly ruthless. She has little care for human life, regardless of innocence. I would almost say that she takes pleasure in the kill; she is usually completely cold, but when she kills..." She suppressed a shudder. "I only met her twice, once while training and another when she systematically murdered ten unarmed men who had tried to infiltrate our base of operations. It was...unpleasant."

"You cut down those two peace officials with little care," he reminded her.

She tilted her head. "That was the mission," she replied as if that explained everything. As well it should; Heero Yuy was no stranger to killing. "Minkar savors it, though. She makes it last. I am afraid that even if they don't send her out next, you will face her soon." She fixed her eyes on Heero's now. "And when that happens, she will kill you."

Heero's eyebrows rose a fraction. His hand went subconsciously to the hilt of the sword and Hotaru shook her head. "Without a suit, you will be too vulnerable. Especially in the beginning, I could've killed you with little effort."

"Then why didn't you?" he challenged. It was a question that had been nagging at him all this time, though he had tried to ignore it. He almost felt he knew the reason as he, too, thrived on the challenge of a formidable opponent.

Wasn't that a question for the ages? Truth be told, Hotaru had little clue as to why, as Sparrow, she hadn't immediately killed the pilot. It would've only made sense. She supposed she had been intrigued initially, and that grew into respect, and eventually she had just been having too much fun. She turned her head away and studied the table. "I have no idea," she lied easily.

This subject was too uncomfortable, so Hotaru switched gears and glared at him. "Minkar will have no such hesitations, however, and she will not be messaging you to stop her from blowing up an orphanage. Knowing her, she'd do it by hand and make it last."

Heero took her cue and latched on to the business-like nature of the interrogation. "We've tried gaining access to their actual database, with little success."

"That's not surprising. I will do what I can from here, but I don't know that I could tell you what to do. It's the only thing I can offer." Honestly, she had no clue how to break into their security, but Sparrow might. She hoped physically hacking would spark her memory. She could see Heero mulling this over in his mind. She let him think this over while she offered a plan. "We'll need to take them apart piece by piece. We should start soon, too, as I have reason to believe they'll begin stage two very soon."

"Stage two?"

"Ah... Master Alchiba wants to send a stronger message. The orphanage was only a taste of that. He'll start targeting innocents - nobody will be safe. He'll use the automated suits. They'll be easier to deal with but, in your current state, you won't have much luck..."

"What do you propose?"

Hotaru tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I recommend getting suits and using weapons built to deal with them. Mobile suits won't be enough, so I wouldn't even suggest it."

Heero looked at her skeptically. "You want us to get suits?"

She nodded.

"How are we supposed to do that? We've attempted to replicate the sword with no success. We aren't even sure what it's made of."

"Yes, well, you won't be able to. But I know where some suits are that could be outfitted to work with you, and it just so happens to have an armory..."

"We've destroyed all of the armories."

She regarded him with a knowing look. "Do you really believe that? This place is completely hidden, but I know where it is. I can get you there -."

"And therein lies the flaw of your plan."

Silence fell upon the room as Hotaru realized what he meant. Right. She was being detained. It was an awfully inconvenient predicament. She considered her options and finally decided on one. "I won't wear my suit."

Heero just stared.

"Without my suit, I will be just as vulnerable as you guys. If I even look suspicious, you can shoot me square in the head. My skull is quite normal, I assure you." Actually, due to her rapid healing powers, she wondered if that would truly kill her? She supposed it would... "And I'll be unarmed."

"And if we run into trouble? You'll be useless."

She shrugged. "Then you'll be rid of me and won't have to worry about me stabbing you in the back with my nonexistent knife."

He paused, but didn't take his eyes off of her. "I will talk to Sally. In the meantime, start working on a plan that includes you and one that doesn't. I will return in an hour."

* * *

Convincing Sally had been difficult but after hearing Hotaru's self-imposed conditions, she reluctantly agreed on her own condition that Heero would remain with her at all times. He was the most experienced with her tells, even if he had just seen the person under the suit for the first time today.

Heero returned to the room exactly one hour later to find Hotaru lying on the table, her hands over her stomach, feet dangling over the edge. She seemed to be in a trance for when Heero shut the door behind him, the slam made her slip over the edge of the table and duck behind a chair, ready to flee. Once her own violet eyes met his blue ones, she calmed considerably and stood smoothly, waiting for him to speak.

He had to give her credit for her reflexes. They weren't just enhanced by the suit, it seemed.

"Sally agreed." She nodded but said nothing. He continued. "Have you come up with a plan?" Once again, she nodded.

"I'll need something to write with. Be ready in four hours. We'll arrive under the cover of night, though it may not afford us much protection. But it's better than nothing."

Heero gave her a pen and a pad of paper and watched as she started drawing blueprints. She concentrated and ignored his gaze admirably. "If this is a trap, you will regret it."

Her hand stilled and she looked up at him. "You'll just have to take a leap of faith, Yuy, and pray that I'm not leading you to your death." She looked back down at her drawing and continued with the line. "This all _could_ just be an overly elaborate ruse to get you to trust me enough to send you to the slaughterhouse." She could _feel _his eyes narrow. "You could just snap my neck now and be done with it, never knowing if I was telling the truth about the suits. You'd be killed by the automated ones or by Minkar, and then mankind as you know it would perish."

She studied her handiwork and, satisfied, handed it over to Heero, her eyes dancing. "But where's the fun in that?"

* * *

A/N: So, a bit longer this time! I got bit by the writing bug this morning, and this is the result! I hope everyone likes it. Things seem to be picking up now. :) I'm happy to be writing scenes without combat for Heero and Hotaru - finally. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed thus far! They really make my day a lot brighter!

Please review!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing. **I do, however, own my own characters (Alchiba, Gienah, Rab, Kraz, and Minkar).

-TC


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